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I (No Model.) 7

' J. B. POWELL.

SPRING MOTOR. No. 367,234. Patented July 26, 1887.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet J. B. POWELL. SPRING MOTOR.

No 367,234. Patented July 26,1887.

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tails of the invention.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. POWELL, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO DANIEL P. DIETRIOH AND RICHARD M. POPHAM, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

SPRING-MOTOR.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 367,234, dated July 26, 1887.

Application filed April 23, 1887. Serial No. 235.873. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN B. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Spring- Motors, 'of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in spring-motors of the class having a central arbor with a series of boxes containing sets of springs.

The object of my invention is to make the device more compact than heretofore, to wind up the springs from the top down, and take the power from the bottom by means of a central shaft.

A further object is to have the boxes ad-- justable independently of each other, and to adjust the belt wheel of the motor in respect to the belt-wheel of the machine to be driven, so that different speeds may be obtained from one belt, as fully described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved springmotor, on theline l 2, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a side view of the upper portion of the machine only; and Fig. 4 is a sectional plan on the line 34, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of one of the de- A is the base of the machine, A is the top frame, and A an intermediate frame. The frames A A are supported and secured together'by vertical rods a and sleeves a in the manner common to spring-motors of this class.

B is the central driving-shaft having its bearings in a cup, I), on the base A. Placed one above another over this shaft B are tubular arbors D D D, the bottom, which supports the others, beingitself supported on the rim of the cup I).

E E are the boxes containing the springs F, and each box is provided with two springs.

I have shown in Figure 1 only two boxes; but it will be understood that any number of boxes may be used, as required. Each box is, in the present instance, constructed in three parts, the two cages e and e and the open cap-plate e". The portion 6 rests on a sleeve, 0, adj ustably secured to one of the arbors D or cup on the bottom plate, A, by means of a suitablejournals, through which pass the ar- N bors D D, so that the boxes are thereby kept steady, while at the same time serving to support the arbors.

On the lower port-ion of each arbor is a reduced extension, d, which fits into a pocket, (1', in the top of the arbor directly below it, as shown in Fig. 1, and the ends of the arbors are cut away to adapt them to the journals of the box 6. The exterior diameters of these journals are somewhat smaller than the diameters of the arbors, which prevents any frictional contact between the springs F and the said journals. The inner end of each spring is secured to an arbor by a screw, f, as shown'in-Fig. 1, and the outer ends of the springs are secured to the boxes, as shown in- Fig. 4, by means of an upright pin, f, passing through the shell of the box. The upper arbor, D extends through the top frame, A, and to this arbor is secured a bevel gear-wheel, G, having teeth 9, which engage with two bevel-pinions, H H, on shafts h h, having their bearings in extensions of the frameA. These shafts have squared ends, to which may be adapted any suitable handle for winding up the springs.

On the periphery of the bevel gear-wheel G, and forming part of it, is a ratchet-wheel, I, and on the frame A are pawls i, which engage with the ratchetteeth on the wheel. The pawls are pressed against the wheel by springs i, as shown in Fig. 2.

I have placed thetwo shafts for winding up the motor at right angles to each other, so that when the motor is applied to a sewingmachine the operator can wind the springs up by placing the crank-handle on the squared shaft h and wind the springs without leaving her seat at the'machine, while if, at the same time, an attendant wishesto wind up themachine, he can do so by placing the crank-handle on the shaft h without disturbing the op erator of the sewing-machine.

I have also provided theshafthwith asmall bevel-pinion, H, and the shaft h wit-h a larger bevel-pinion, H, since a person standing at the side of the machine can exert more power than when sitting down. In fact, in order to wind the springs at all conveniently when sitting down the pinion should be small.

The operation of winding will be considerably longer with the small pinion, while by using the large pinion at the side, although it takes more power, the speed is increased to a great extent, as will be readily understood by referring to Fi 2.

The central shaft, B, is secured to the lower arbor, D, and on the upper end of this shaft is secured a bevel driving-wheel, J, which meshes with a bevel-pinion, J, on a shaft, K, having its bearings on the top frame, A, of the machine. At the outer end of this shaft K is a gear-wheel, 70, Figs. 2 and 3, which gears with a small pinion, on a shaft, K. On this shaft K is a large gear-wheel, 7J2, gearing with a pinion, It, on a stud projecting from an arm, L, pivoted to a bracket, L, on the frame. This arm also carries a pinion, k, which meshes with the pinion 7.1, and is on one end of a shaft, M, having its bearings also in the arm L. On the opposite end of this shaft M are the driving beltwheels m m, over which the belt of the machine to be driven is passed.

The train of gears above described is for increasing the speed from the gear-wheel J, which travels very slowly, to the shaft M, which is required to travel at an increased speed.

The arm L, as before remarked, is pivoted to the bracket L, and is supported at its outer end by an extension, A, of the frame. I have shown in the drawings this extension slotted for the reception of a bolt, 1, which passes through the arm L, and has a thumb-mut, Z, by which the arm L can be firmly secured to the extension A.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings I have shown the belt-wheel \V of an ordinary sewingmachine, and a belt, in, which passes over the beltwheel and over the wheel at on the shaft M.

It will be seen that by adjusting the arm L to or from the wheel \V of the sewing machine any tension required can be placed upon the belt 10 and the arm firmly secured to the up right A by the nut Z; but if the speed of the sewing-machine is to be decreased the belt is placed on the smaller wheel, on, and the arm loosened from the upright A and by pressing the arm downward, Fig. 3, the belt will be tightened and all the slack taken up. Then by securing the arm to the upright A by the nut it may be held firmly in place. It will be noticed that when this arm L, with its shaft M, is moved from one position to another, the pinion k and geanwhcel k always remain in gear with each other, owing to the arm being pivoted on the axial line of the gear-wheel k". t

On the inner end of the shaft K is a brakedrum, N, on which the brake -shoe N rests. This brake-shoe is pivoted to a stud, a, on an extension of the frame A, as shown in Fig. 2. The outer end of this brakeshoe N is forced down on the drum N by a spring, a, and is raised by a cord, 05*, connected to any suitable device-such as a treadle-for raising the shoe clear of the drum when required.

I claim as my invention" 1. The combination, in a spring-motor, of the frame containing the spring-boxes and springs with a set of arbors, of which the upper one is connected to the winding meehanism, and a central driven shaft, 13, to which the lower arbor is secured, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a spring-motor, of

the central arbors, with boxes E, carrying springs F, one end of each spring being connected to the box and the other end to the arbor, with adjustable sleeves a, supporting the boxes, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a spring-motor, of the driving mechanism, and an arm, L, carry- .ing belt -pulleys m m, wit-h a driven pulley and a belt, and devices for adjusting the belt opposite end pulleys m m, and. adj ustingmech- IOO anism by which the arms can be secured in any position, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, in an upright springmotor, of the winding bevel gear-wheel G, se cured to one of the upright arbors of the motor, with two shafts, h it, having bevel-pinions gearing into the wheel G, whereby the motor can be wound from two points, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, in a spring-motor, of

the winding gear wheel G with shafts h h, having pinions of different sizes gearing with the wheel G, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification in the presence of two sub- I I5 scribing witnesses.

JOHN B. POWELL. iVitnesses:

J ornv SPARHAWK, J12, Jas. GooDFnLLow. 

